NYC mayor wants to give electric car drivers a place to park

New York City has never been very car-friendly, but Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg wants to attract more cars, of the electric variety. Bloomberg is expected to push for an expansion of the city’s EV charging infrastructure in his State of the City speech, the Associated Press reports.

“[We’ll] make New York City a national leader in electric vehicles,” Bloomberg said in an excerpt of Thursday’s speech released on Wednesday.

Bloomberg wants to install charging stations along New York’s streets, so EV drivers can charge their cars while parked. He mentions units that can recharge a car 30 minutes, so these will probably be “fast chargers” like the ones Nissan and Tesla are installing around the country.

The mayor also wants to work with New York’s City Council to alter the city’s building code, allowing 20 percent of new public parking spaces to be equipped with EV chargers. His goal is to create 10,000 electric car parking spaces over the next seven years.

Finding a parking space is never an easy task in New York, so hopefully Bloomberg’s plan won’t attract too many electric car drivers looking to plug in. Having to find a space that is both convenient and able to provide energy for the trip home could inspire some serious anxiety.

In the State of the City Speech, Bloomberg is also expected to propose environmental measures like banning Styrofoam carry-out boxes, and doubling New York’s recycling rate by 2017.

Bloomberg has spent much of his administration focusing on the environment and public health. He infamously moved to ban 20-ounce sodas, oversaw the construction of miles of bike lanes and linear parks, and once said speeders should be publicly shamed.

This State of the City speech will be Bloomberg’s last; this year marks the end of his three terms in office.